Kantei

NH-0770 Rank 348

Tsuba · Edo Higo

Unsigned iron tsuba of nadekaku shape with peonies and two butterflies in gold inlay; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper attributing it to the Edo Higo school.

TsubaMid-Edo (1688–1781)Mid-Edo period (18th century, by style)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Mumei tsuba of polished iron in nadekaku shape (a rectangle with rounded corners), attributed by the NBTHK paper to the Edo Higo school, the craftsmen who worked in Edo in the taste of Higo province. The paper titles it 牡丹双蝶図鐔 (botan sōchō-zu tsuba), "tsuba with peonies and two butterflies". On both faces large peonies surround the seppa-dai and two butterflies frame the lobed hitsu-ana; the rest of the field is covered with a fine web of scrolls and small circles. The whole design is worked in flat gold inlay of several tones, with the details of petals and wings engraved in kebori; on one face the lower peony is in a paler, almost silvery gold. The rim, a dote-mimi reserved in the iron itself, carries a gold raimon key-fret. According to the original seller it measures 7.2 × 6.6 cm and 0.48 cm thick. The photographs show the inlay complete and well seated, with the gold worn in some stretches of the edge and a few spots of dark, stable rust on the rim. It comes with its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2010125, dated October 2023, and a wooden box with cushion.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2023) attributing it to Edo Higo
  • Gold inlay in several tones, with fine kebori on petals and wings
  • Peonies and two butterflies composed on both faces
  • Dote-mimi rim with a gold raimon key-fret
  • Presented in a wooden box with cushion

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: attribution to a school, not to a specific maker
  • The period is inferred from style; the paper does not date it
  • Gold worn in some stretches of the edge and small spots of dark rust on the rim

Score breakdown

47.4/100

The score shares out 100 points: Maker 25 · Workmanship 20 · Condition 18 · Period 12 · Paper 10 · Extras 5 · Price 10. It is computed from the record, not from an opinion. Maker, workmanship, condition and period are judged from the photographs and the paper; price is compared only with fittings of the same type.

  1. Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
  2. Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
  5. Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
  6. Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
  7. Price 3.4 of 10 Rank 150 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest